Terror of Hallow's Eve

A teenage loner obsessed by movie monsters lets his imagination run riot to homicidal effect in this supernatural comeuppance chiller. It's a cursed tome and bully-fuelled humiliation that drive 15-year-old Tim (Caleb Thomas) to summon the Trickster (played by gangly horror veteran Doug Jones), who gleefully torments a trio of bullies with a spindly scarecrow (Jones again), stabby psycho puppets and busty banshees. Fans of 1980s horror flicks like House and Waxwork - with their old-school special effects, garish lighting and schlocky deaths - should be in retro heaven, and the spooky Halloween vibe is maintained by music from that film's director, John Carpenter. There are brief cameos, too, from Eric Roberts, Juliet Landau (Drusilla in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Peter Jason (They Live) but this is affectionately serviceable fare that's more trick than treat.